Are You Happy?
by Spiorad Fear
Summary: Finn can't see what is going on, and is struggling to understand. Kurt is trying not to get his hopes up, but should he be so hesitant? Sequel to 'Caught in a Bad Romance'. Spoiler: set around S1 E21, 'Funk'. Reviews are loved to death. x
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: So, I'm really enjoying exploring this relationship. As always, any feedback is greatly appreciated. It's nice to hear you're being received. May be a good week between updates, but college work regrettably comes first.**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I still do not own any of the Glee characters; I just enjoy playing with them. All credit to the genius creators of Glee, those sexy people.**

Chapter 1

Jarring awake, Kurt could not fathom what was happening. Last night, Finn had asked Kurt to tell him that he loved him, which was confusing enough in itself, but after they had spent a good half an hour sitting on Kurt's bed hugging, with Finn sobbing into his shoulder, Kurt was scared and positively dumbfounded; he knew that Finn was incredibly sensitive, but in spite of that he was also supposed to be the strong one and it was always so worrying to see him lose control. This fear hadn't been aided when Kurt had asked Finn to expand on whatever situation he was in and Finn had simply murmured a thank you, and a sorry, and edged his way over to his bed, collapsing like a lumber-jacked tree into an instant sleep. Kurt decided that it probably wasn't the best idea to pursue anything; Finn could hardly be considered lucid at the best of times, let alone sleep deprived.

Kurt couldn't let himself get his hopes up. The mention of the word love, and the way that Finn seemed to desperately call for his the night before, didn't mean that Finn needed his love the way that Kurt wanted to give it to him. He thought that Finn must have meant it in a brotherly way; he was most likely just really upset about Rachel or Quinn and hadn't let anyone in to help him recently. Kurt knew better than most how introverted Finn could be and, from extensive experience, Kurt recognized that he would have to ask Finn what the matter was head on to draw him out a bit before the issue had any chance of getting better. As Kurt worked his way around the bedroom, he decided that he would take Finn out on a long walk to uncover the mystery that last night presented because Finn was fond of long walks, so he selected his leather military boots to wear as it was cold out; worry was no excuse to let up on fashion sense and wear unsightly footwear.

Climbing the stairs, Kurt caught a glimpse of his alarm clock and realised for the first time that it was well past 10am. Last night's consoling must have really taken it out of him; Kurt rarely slept past 9am, even on weekends because he simply had too much to do, whether it was rehearsing for a Glee assignment or reinventing his decor. At least getting up this late meant that Finn would have had the time to eat his enormous fill at breakfast, meaning that Kurt could drag him out of the house at a time of his choosing rather than having to amuse himself with something else whilst he waited for Finn to empty the cupboards. During the short trip up the stairs, Kurt began readying himself for the personally anti-climatic reason that was going to be causing Finn's sadness by following his daily routine of suppressing his feelings towards the other boy, breaking his own heart a little bit more every time that he repeated to himself that the problem would be some kind of girl issue that would only end up reminding him of how much an impossibility the idea of he and Finn truly was.

Painting a smile on his face, Kurt stepped out into the rest of the house. He couldn't risk letting Finn see how much last night had affected him, otherwise Finn's guilt would swiftly put a stop to a heart-to-heart chat before it had even begun. It did strike Kurt as he walked towards the kitchen that if Finn did mean _love_ love, not brotherly love, when he said that he knew Kurt loved him, then that meant that Finn knew that Kurt had feelings for him. A flush of nerves moved through Kurt as he decided that that wasn't necessarily a good or bad thing; it was bad in an obvious kind of way because that information had the potential to make so many things awkward now that it was out in the open, what with the two boys sharing a house and bedroom, but it was also good because Kurt would never have to actually tell Finn how he felt about him as he already knew. Kurt thought that that was good because that meant his feelings could be known without him having to make the both of them mutually uncomfortable by physically vocalising his feelings to Finn and possibly ruining their relationship by mentioning something that really shouldn't have been mentioned. Kurt knew that he was getting carried away though due to nerves; Finn hadn't meant _love_ love, he hadn't, he'd just chosen some rather ambiguous words to express himself with.

Kurt faltered in the entrance to the kitchen when he realised that only Carole was sat at the table, reading the newspaper. When she noticed that Kurt was stood there, she folded up the paper, clasped her hands together on top of it and smiled in his direction.

"_Hi honey, you ok?"_ Carole asked him sweetly. Kurt smiled a response to the question; he had absolutely adored Carole from the moment that he had introduced her to his dad, even during those few months when he was painfully regretting their living arrangements did he not once regret introducing them. She was a lovely person, clearly showing where Finn got his most redeeming qualities, and she made his Dad the happiest that he had been since, well, since his Mom had died. For that reason alone Kurt would have had to of liked her, even if he hadn't done already. Kurt walked over to the small table and settled down opposite Carole, glancing around to see if he had missed anyone.

"_Yeah, I'm fine thanks. Um, where is everyone?"_ Kurt asked generally, trying to mask the fact that he was only really interested in one particular person's whereabouts.

"_Well, your Dad is at the tire shop, he had a client booked in early this morning, and Finn is over at Puck's house," _she said, finishing with the backs of her hands propping up her chin, her elbows on the table, _"Are you going somewhere?"_ She asked, observing Kurt's thick cardigan and boots.

"_I was going to see if Finn wanted to go for a walk, I know how he likes them and I have to burn off your dinner from last night somehow,"_ Kurt finished jokingly. He couldn't see any reason to lie to her; she would have more of a reason to be suspicious if he started making things up on the spot, looking like he was trying to avoid mentioning Finn somehow. Besides, she had no reason to suspect that something was wrong in the first place. It was probably just a figment of his imagination, but Kurt felt that Carole took slightly too long to reply and stared at him slightly too intently to just be considering their present conversation, she seemed to be contemplating something.

"_Oh, sorry about that love, he left quite early this morning, I was only just out of bed myself,"_ she said with an indistinguishable, tantalising tone in her voice,_ "Was Finn alright last night? He seemed to leave the table in quite a hurry, and neither of you came back up?" _Carole asked, standing up and walking to the worktop, _"Tea?"_

"_Yes, please, and he was fine. I think that he just really needed to catch up on some sleep, that's all," _Kurt informed her. It was only a white lie, and Kurt was certain that Finn wouldn't appreciate him telling his Mom his multiple ideas of what was really going on, considering that Kurt wasn't exactly sure of any details. Watching Carole busy herself with the kettle, Kurt found himself under the distinct impression that she was kind of going through the motions, in that she was asking all of the right questions and not pushing too hard for any information. With each strangely staged second that passed, Kurt was growing more and more certain that Carole had her own ideas of what was wrong with Finn, and he was extremely tempted to try and find out what they were, to see what her thoughts could be, but he couldn't think of a way to ask her without arousing suspicion. Therefore, Kurt decided to simply thank Carole for the tea when she returned to the table, and to sit there quietly, waiting for her to say something first.

"_Well, he must have caught up; otherwise he would never have been up so early on a Saturday,"_ Carole chuckled lightly.

"_Hmmm, yeah,"_ Kurt replied lamely as he started to consider the real reasons why Finn would have darted from the house so early. He realised himself how uncomfortable he sounded, _"Thank you again Carole for all of the help that you gave Finn this week, what with his costume for the theatricality project and all. He was really happy yesterday when he wore it to stand up to those buffoons,"_ Kurt said, trying hard to keep the conversation flowing.

"_It was my pleasure Kurt; I could see how much standing up for you meant to him. Finn doesn't talk to me much about feelings, that's just the way he's always been, so I knew it must have been important because he opened up to me about it,"_ Carole stated confidently, taking a sip of tea, _"That's why I think he left the table last night, because he was embarrassed about us praising him, especially your Dad. Finn really cares about you,"_ she finished, and it felt to Kurt like her words had given him an electric shock. Carole smiled that same slightly sly smile that sometimes overcame Finn when he was attempting to be devious as she stood and walked into the living room. The only difference was that she did not attempt to hide it. Kurt sat at the table as he considered what Carole had said; all of her thoughts seemed highly logical, and she obviously knew her son very well, no matter how reclusive he tried to be. Kurt felt some quiet satisfaction at the knowledge that he had thought similar thoughts about Finn being embarrassed last night; it meant that his feeling that he knew Finn inside-out wasn't a fabrication of his own mind; he actually did know Finn. However, Kurt had to return to that last thing that Carole had tagged onto the end of her musings.

"_Finn really cares about you." _

She had said it plainly like it was an obvious matter of fact, like the statement could never come under any doubt, no matter how hard somebody tried to scrutinise it, and that smile had all but confirmed that that is what she meant. Kurt was growing more confused and open to possibilities as to what was wrong with Finn with every passing moment, which was dangerous to his self control. He had to talk to Finn and force him to explain what exactly was going on, so Kurt reached into his bag and took out his cell; if Finn had gone to Puck's as a means of escape, Kurt was not going to allow him to get away with it.

_**-Are You Happy?-**_

The bleeping of his cell phone distracted Finn for only a moment, but that was all the time that Puck needed to brutally slaughter his video game character. Finn was annoyed; he had been doing so well.

"_Yeah, laugh all you want Puckerman, you know I was beating you,"_ Finn murmured as he moved over to his backpack, feeling that some of the stress that he had just expelled was about to make an unwelcome and premature return.

"_Whatever dude, maybe next time,"_ came Puck's jolly reply as Finn read the name on his cell's display. With a lump growing in his throat, Finn clicked open the text message from Kurt:

'Hey Finn. I'm sorry if you don't want to, but we need to talk about last night. I need to ask you about what you said. And I'm just worried about you. Text me back please. Kurt. XXX'

It was the message that Finn had been expecting, and the only thing that surprised him about it was that it took this long for it to be sent to him; he had made sure to leave the house unrealistically early so that he could avoid a usually early rising Kurt, and now it seemed to have been a waste of good sleeping time if Kurt had only just got up. Finn decided that it probably wasn't worth worrying about as he wasn't exactly doing much, and he conceded that as much as he didn't want to right now, as was the reason for his whole trip to Puck's house, he had to give Kurt a reply; it wasn't fair to keep Kurt in the dark after what he had done for him last night. Finn grappled with himself as his feelings of duty to Kurt clashed with his unwillingness to explore the feelings that he had discovered within himself last night so soon afterwards, but in the end, the dutiful, reasonable Finn won out and he quickly tapped out a reply to Kurt before he lost his nerve:

'I'm ok Kurt. I know we have to talk and we will, but I need some time. I'm sleeping round Puck's tonight but I'll see you tomorrow,' Finn breathed in deeply to settle himself before writing the last sentence, 'Thank you for last night Kurt. Finn. X'

Finn felt a dash of excitement shine through his cowardice as he uncharacteristically wrote the kiss on the end of his text. It seemed like a ridiculously small thing to get so excited about, but after last night, the tiny admission of any feelings he had towards Kurt felt like a mini victory. As Finn tossed his cell back into his backpack and returned to Puck's sofa, he started to reengage his carefully ignored memories of last night, remembering primarily the emotions that he had experienced. Finn knew that it was the truth; he had felt what he had felt running to Kurt's aid yesterday at school, he had felt what he had felt the day before that when Kurt had tapped his knee, and he had definitely felt the realisation of those feelings and his desperation for Kurt's love last night. He couldn't ignore all of that, no matter how hard he tried, but that didn't mean that Finn couldn't shy away from dealing with it for a while. After all, his whole perception of his very person was changing over reasons that he could not begin to understand, and to Finn that felt like a justifiable reason for wanting some down time. Finn realised that was probably why he had chosen a day of hanging out with Puck; it was menial, it was familiar and Finn could use the excuse of trying to bridge gaps with Puck as a cover story whist he took the time that he needed.

Despite that though, Finn hated running away from the situation, especially considering that it was entirely his fault. He hated himself for being so dense and for not being observant enough, even of his own feelings; he had dealt with the situation horribly. He had basically used Kurt's compassion last night for his own comfort and then dropped Kurt again as soon as he had reached his capacity for letting his walls down, with seemingly little concern for Kurt's emotions. Finn recognised with strong guilt that he must have upset Kurt to some degree last night, and now he had run away to satisfy his own need for closing himself off. Finn was dazed and simply couldn't work out what to do, especially considering that he didn't exactly know what was happening in the first place.

"_Hey man, what's the haps wit'chu?"_ Puck laughed in his most wannabe-gangster tone, throwing his jumper at Finn's head. Finn broke out of his trance at the surprise and blinked until his eyes had refocused, faux laughing at Puck to keep up appearances. He shrugged it off, making some excuse about being tired, and the two boys resumed playing on Puck's Xbox. They didn't speak much; Finn couldn't really find anything to say as this was the first time that he and Puck had spent any extended time together since Finn had found out about Quinn and Puck's affair, and Puck seemed content just to sit there and allow Finn to direct the situation. Puck had sounded understandably surprised when Finn had rung him up this morning to ask him if he wanted to hang out, and now as Finn sat in this most surreal of moments as he took a few cursory glances over at the best friend who had betrayed him, he wondered at how he didn't seem to care that much anymore. Of course, being the insecure person that he was, Finn was always going to be affected and feel hurt at being stabbed in the back by Puck and Quinn, and angry that she had toyed with his emotions by tricking him into believing that the baby had been his, but the raw pain that he had experienced from the ordeal appeared to be dying away, to be replaced by a wonderful feeling of acceptance, and the thought that perhaps it had been for the best. Finn wasn't trying to down play the scars that he would forever carry due to their actions, or let them off the hook, but maybe it could be considered for the best as he realised with great surprise that he didn't feel for Quinn anymore, or Rachel for that matter. The transitions that were occurring inside of him were confusing for sure, but they couldn't be all bad if they were helping him to get over the only two girls he had ever had feelings for, and the two girls that had both screwed him up something chronic.

"_Hey Puck,"_ Finn sighed, placing his Xbox controller on the arm of his chair, _"__can __we talk __for a minute?"_

"_Yeah, sure Finn. Whatever," _Puck answered nervously. Finn did take some solace in the fact that Puck looked very uncomfortable; at least he could make Puck squirm for just a moment before he said what he had to say, and Finn cruelly took a couple of extra seconds to arrange himself before his conscience gave in. He couldn't be sadistic if he tried, much to his disappointment.

"_Look Puck. I need to tell you that, I think I'm ready to forgive you for what you did with Quinn,"_ Finn began, noticing that Puck was for once actually shocked into silence.

"_Oh, wow, Finn I-,"_ Puck gabbled.

"_That's because,"_ Finn interrupted, holding up his hand, and to Puck's credit he did shut up instantly, _"__that's because I've really missed this, just__us__hanging and stuff. We've been best friends since forever. But I need you to know how much you hurt me dude__,__you really did," _Finn finished, making sure that he was pouring as much conviction into his voice as he could. Finn couldn't remember the last time that he had seen Puck look truly apologetic, but he did now, and even before he had started talking Finn knew that he was genuine because Puck had never been good at acting.

"_I am so sorry man, I really am, and you know I don't apologise for anything,"_ Puck grovelled, trying to inject some of his trademark humour, _"__I was mega stupid, even for me. And I just want you to know, if you still care, I am really serious about taking care of Quinn and the baby dude, if she'll let me. I'__m __not __gunna drop her, that's my Dad, that's not me,"_ Puck finished and Finn could tell that his old friend was being sincere; he only mentioned his Dad when he had to. Knowing that the baby would be cared for did comfort Finn slightly, after all, none of this was the baby's fault and Finn smiled at Puck, earning a sheepish smirk in return.

"_Good for you man, I know you mean it. Now__, __I'm not saying that we're gunna be fine from now on, but we're getting there, and I think I'm gunna need a good friend real soon__, __so I'm happy with that,"_ Finn concluded, thinking of how useful having his idiot of a best friend back would be on days when he just wanted to slob around and escape his small world for a bit; Finn knew that a few of those days were only around the corner.

"_Why, is anything wrong man?"_ Puck asked, genuinely concerned. Finn sat and considered the many replies that he could have said, including answers that referenced the fact that he thought he was strangely connected to another boy, that he had no idea what he was going to do about it, that he was churning inside and all he foresaw in his immediate future was pain and confusion. In the end though, Finn settled for a simple no; all of that would have probably been too much to pile onto Puck seeing as they had only just reconciled their friendship, so Finn took up his Xbox control again and the two boys recommenced their play, a welcome feeling of camaraderie returning to them.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Sunday had arrived and there was no other possible way for Finn to delay that he could think of, except maybe faking his death or an abduction or something, but now he was just getting ridiculous. He'd even pushed himself to prematurely make amends at Puck's house, reinforcing to himself the notion that he had nowhere else to run. He would have to talk to Kurt today about Friday night, but he had no idea what he was going to say. Finn couldn't understand how he was supposed to tell Kurt that he had been purposefully ignoring Kurt's obvious feelings towards him for months now, causing Kurt immeasurable pain, only to now think that he might have feelings back, but he wasn't sure, without causing Kurt even more distress. It felt to Finn like he was in a waking dream; he had never felt nerves like this and they were making his mind a blur. Kurt needed to talk, he wanted to know what was happening, and he had every right to, but Finn couldn't see how Kurt knowing what an unsure mess he was inside was supposed to give Kurt any emotional stability.

Puck had happily offered Finn a lift home, obviously trying to prove that they were cool, but Finn felt like he needed a walk to try and bring his racing mind under control. He decided that before he talked to Kurt, he needed to come up with a pre-determined strategy, just like in football. Strategies were how Finn's mind worked; they made him feel safe, like seemingly impossible things could actually be achieved. That quality had come in very handy during almost unwinnable football fixtures and he was certain a strategy could help him now to come up with a way to delicately explain to Kurt that he didn't have many answers. What worried Finn the most though was that he didn't know how Kurt would react. Kurt could sometimes be unpredictable to say the least, especially when intense emotions were involved, and it was difficult to get a hold on a decent strategy when Finn had no idea what the possible outcomes could be. However, the rational side of Finn's mind was making itself known too, and he admitted to himself as he tiredly trod his way towards home that he was probably being unfair to Kurt; whenever it mattered the most, Kurt was the most mature and stable person that Finn knew.

Finn thought that Kurt would most likely be out of bed by now as it was approaching 10am, so he decided to give Kurt a heads up text in order to give him some time to prepare for whatever he wanted to say to Finn. Finn imagined that Kurt was probably freaking out a bit by now considering that he had wanted to talk for well over thirty six hours, so Finn thought it was only fair to tell him where he was:

'Hey Kurt. I'm walking home atm. I shouldn't be too long, then we can have that talk. Finn. XX'

Finn was expecting a swift reply, but the rate at which his phone vibrated in response suggested to him that Kurt must have been sitting, staring at his phone; Finn hardly had the chance to put his cell back into his jeans pocket before he had received:

'Good. We do really need to chat. Kurt.'

The text from Kurt was not a good sign. It had to be the shortest text that Finn had ever seen him write, and there were no trademark triple-kisses on the end of it either. Kurt must have been really upset with him over how he had dashed away from the house to avoid confronting the issue, and a new wave of cowardly shame overcame Finn. He had to shake it off though; Finn knew that there was nothing he could do to change the fact that he had bailed, but he was going to make it right, he knew he was, and besides, judging by the stinging text from Kurt he was shortly going to have other things to feel upset about other than his regret at running away. Whilst considering that ugly truth, the most awesome strategy popped into Finn's head. It involved being slightly underhanded and manipulative, but if it was his best shot at not having his head ripped off, Finn could get over being a tiny bit devious. It had been staring him in the face the whole time; appeal to Kurt's huge loving side, specifically, his love for you. Feeling marginally guilty, Finn wrote out a reply to Kurt, editing it a few times as he went along to try and convey his emotional, vulnerable side to Kurt the best that he could over text:

'I'm really sorry I let you down Kurt, but when I get home you can say whatever you like to me. I promise. Finn. XX'

Finn held his breath for the few moments that it took for a response to come through. He would either be in even more trouble because Kurt wasn't an idiot and would see through his sorry attempt at being more accessible, or his text would have had the desired effect and softened up the scary, smaller boy. Luckily for Finn, it was the latter:

'Just get here will you. Moron. Kurt. XXX'

The text was still a tad too concise for Finn's taste, but he had evidently got back onto Kurt's good side enough to receive kisses again on the end of his texts. Although Finn was still struggling to accept, and in some cases deny, the shadows of much needed answers that he was already beginning to acquire, he felt a part of the tightness in his chest retract somewhat at receiving Kurt's kisses again. Pieces of information danced on the edges of his mind, just sitting and waiting to invade his senses and to make him see the whole picture, which he knew would be challenging to see, but he really did appreciate the affection, there was no denying that. Finn allowed himself a small chuckle as he reread the message and envisioned Kurt saying it to him, his diva-ish tones and swagger laying the mock insult on thick, if it was indeed only a mock insult.

Finn decided to enjoy and archive memories of the last walk that he would take as this version of Finn Hudson so that he could compare and contrast them later, because he was sure that the day that was laid out before him was going to be a life altering one, and that there would be a new definition to that name by the time the day was done.

_**-Are You Happy?-**_

Kurt could appreciate how waiting at the living room window for Finn to get home could be seen as terribly cliché and pitifully dependent, but considering that he was home alone and waiting on the most important conversation of his life to date, he felt like he had enough excuses to ignore keeping up appearances. Kurt tried to calm his ferocious heart by attempting to distract himself by spying on his neighbours or just watching the traffic drive past, but that failed to work because every time that something moved, his peripherals would trick him into seeing a six-foot plus, dark haired, ridiculously handsome teenage boy coming around the corner instead of a passing pickup truck.

Eventually, an unbearable twenty minutes after his initial text, Finn appeared at the foot of the narrow path and started to make his way up to the front door. Kurt decided that it would have been slightly too scary for Finn if he had ripped the door off its hinges in anticipation, so he held himself back, twisting into a regular sitting position to try and give the impression that he was relaxing whist awaiting Finn's return rather than ripping his hair out. Even the unlocking of the front door seemed tentative, though how Kurt could tell that from a click of metal he did not know, and as Finn sidled his way inside, he wiped his feet on the mat, closed the door slowly and slipped his shoes off before turning to face Kurt, many shades of hesitance on his face. Despite feeling like he was going to be sick through nerves, Finn had to cheekily smile towards Kurt; he had known where the occasionally predictable Kurt would be waiting for him when he arrived home, and how he would be trying to appear, to the best of his ability, nonchalant.

"_Hello,"_ Kurt said simply, instantly disarmed by the unexpected and dashing smile appearing on Finn's face. However, the smile was disappointingly short-lived as Finn seemed to lose sight of whatever it was that had made him smile upon his entrance; Finn knew that this was because, despite his delicate amusement at Kurt, he had to keep in mind what he had come home to do, and he had to make sure that he didn't lose focus on his objective, namely, admitting to Kurt that he was a fool who didn't know what he wanted. Kurt watched Finn's troubled face and felt slightly guilty at being the one to burst Finn's bubble, but he had to remember that this talk was necessary and had to be addressed right now or he was certain that he was going to have an aneurism of some kind.

"_Hello Kurt,"_ Finn woodenly replied. That was the first time in a long time that Kurt had heard Finn say hello instead of an informal, everyday abbreviation and although that didn't mean much, it told Kurt that Finn was obviously very uncomfortable and feeling that he had to be formal. Kurt knew that the difficult talk that they were about to have was going to be far less effective if Finn felt like he couldn't be himself, so Kurt took the time to breathe deeply before applying the strongest tone of calm that he could to his voice before he engaged Finn in further conversation, despite being just as anxious. Kurt realised, then and there, that that is how their relationship worked; Finn was the strong one when it came down to action and confrontation, and it was Kurt's job to be strong where feelings and delicate issues were considered.

"_Finn, please just relax and sit down,"_ Kurt said, moulding his face into a friendly expression and lightly patting the adjacent couch cushion. Finn put his head down and did as he was told, avoiding eye contact all the while. He didn't know what would happen if he looked at Kurt directly as he settled heavily onto the couch, but he knew that he wasn't quite ready for whatever it may be just yet. Finn's lumbering weight on the couch made Kurt bounce towards him slightly, and Kurt froze to give himself time to judge how Finn reacted to the close proximity. As Finn didn't recoil, and even gave him a fleeting, greeting smile, Kurt felt it was safe to assume that, even though the smile was forced and Finn still didn't look at him directly, Finn wasn't uncomfortable enough to wish for distance. Kurt had to sigh in relief; it would have killed him if Finn had moved away from him, rejecting his presence. It would have meant that there was nothing, no relationship, to salvage. This level of comfort at least meant that Finn was open to returning to how they were before Friday night, if nothing else.

"_You're uncomfortable Finn, so I'm just going to say it,"_ Kurt began, feeling a thrill of regret as he saw the fear emerge crystal-clear on Finn's face, _"why did you ask me to say I love you on Friday night? Why was that so important to you?"_ Kurt finished, gathering his legs underneath himself and turning his body towards Finn, resting his arm on the back of the couch, his fingers tantalisingly close to stroking the back of Finn's head. It was so hard for Kurt in that moment not to just give in to his urges and hug Finn, stroke his hair, comfort him tactilely in the only way that Kurt truly felt he could comfort somebody well. It was all made harder by the shivering that was emanating from underneath Finn's skin. His shivers were vibrating through the couch, seemingly through the entire room, but Kurt knew that he had to give Finn the time that he needed to ready a response without pushing him too far, despite the heartbreaking trembling of his lips.

"_Um…don't be mad, please?"_ Finn eventually stuttered. The question caught Kurt completely off guard; he couldn't imagine why Finn would expect him to get angry, but then again, he hadn't been the friendliest he could have been earlier when texting Finn and he had probably given off some false signals regarding how annoyed he actually was, which in truth was not much, he was just confused and worried. Feeling much guilt, Kurt felt that he needed to reassure Finn, so he delicately placed his hand onto Finn's shoulder. Finn waited a couple of seconds and, guessing that this was going to be Kurt's only response, decided to go on.

"_I don't fully know why I said that. I don't really know anything, to be honest. It's just, I got so angry when those guys at school were bullying you; it sucks and you don't deserve it Kurt, you're the best. I think I was still really upset about things, I'm not even sure what things, and I guess…,"_ Finn's rambling came to a suspiciously quick stop. Kurt knew that there was more, the very core of the issue, and he knew that he had to dig it out of Finn before he decided to close himself off again.

"_Yes Finn? You guess what?"_ Kurt said in his most sensitive tone of voice, moving his hand slightly and squeezing Finn's shoulder. For the first time since he had arrived home, Finn looked Kurt square in the eyes, in one swift motion that almost seemed desperate. Kurt was taken aback by the sudden depth that he saw in Finn's hazel eyes, a depth that he had never once seen before, despite all of the tough discussions that they had had over the past few months. It was like Finn, whether he meant to do it or not, was finally showing him who Finn was, and despite the torturous pain that was evident in those lustrous orbs of brown, Kurt found himself absolutely enthralled.

For some reason, a chat that Kurt had shared with his Dad several years earlier popped into his head; he had asked his Dad and speculated about who had invented the wheel, and when it had happened. In this moment, Kurt thought that he may have found a theory. He imagined that the first cave man who had invented the wheel had first looked into his loves eyes. Then, using his primitive mind, he had carved a circle out of stone, to what end he didn't really understand, to represent to himself the eye of his love that he could take with him wherever he went, to bring him comfort and joy. It was then that he would have realised that with it he could move physical objects around, just like the eyes of his love would move intelligible things inside of him, from place to place. Kurt had to chuckle inwardly; that would bring a whole new meaning to the phrase 'love makes the world go round', and staring into Finn's inner self, Kurt would have been willing to place a large wager on his theory being correct. However, he was disturbed in his reverie as Finn seemed to find some confidence in the intimate contact.

"_I know you love me Kurt, as more than a friend, and that's ok,"_ Finn paused, making sure that he hadn't overstepped his bounds, _"and I guess, I am starting to feel, differently, towards you lately, but I don't know what it is yet, and I just don't want you to hate me because you think I'm playing with you, because I'm not. I'm such an idiot, I'm sor-,"_ Finn finished, his voice cracking and his head bowing, his hands wringing desperately, obviously trying to hold back a fresh stream of tears.

That did it, Kurt had to act. Gently and instinctually, he bent his face forwards towards Finn, who now had his eyes completely closed, breathing jagged breaths. Kurt held his breath as he lightly pressed his lips against Finn's cheek. Despite the feeling that his lips were kissing the cheek of an angel, Kurt pulled back almost immediately, not wanting to do anything stupid. Finn had just admitted that he didn't know what was going on, betraying his cover of being the always-in-control quarterback, and Kurt could not risk pushing him too far before he was ready, but when Finn had said love in the basement the past Friday night, against all the odds he had meant _love _love, and despite Finn's delicacy Kurt couldn't contain himself fully; it was going to be long and arduous and perhaps even unyielding, but his wildest dreams, dreams that would give him a whole new level of existence, had a ephemeral chance of coming true.

Reacting to the kiss, Finn couldn't hold it together anymore, and a slow trickle of silent tears found their way from underneath his eyelids. Finn seemed exhausted, and with assistance from Kurt's soft fingers, his head found its way on to Kurt's shoulder, which was no mean feat considering the size difference. Feeling like he needed to do more, Kurt did the only other thing that he really knew how to do; he sang to Finn, one of Finn's favourites, softly, sweetly, lovingly, whilst resting his own cheek on the top of Finn's head.

"_There comes a time, a time in everyone's life,_

_Where nothing seems to go the way, where nothing seems to turn out right._

_There may come a time, you just can't seem to find your place,_

_And for every door to open, seems like you get two slammed in your face._

_That's when you need someone, someone that you, you can call,_

_When all your faith has gone, it feels like you can't go on._

_Let it be me, let it be me, if it's a friend that you need,_

_Let it be me, let it be me._

_And I remember all too well, just how it feels to be all alone,_

_Feels like you'd give anything, for just a little place you can call your home._

_That's when you need someone, someone that you can call,_

_When all your faith is gone, it feels like you can't go on._

_Let it be me, let it be me, if it's a friend that you need_

_Let it be me, let it be me."_

**A/N: Song – 'Let It Be Me', Ray LaMontagne**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry this update took a bit longer than expected. I consider this a filler chapter at best; it's not my best work. I just got a sudden drive to get it out of the way. Despite that, I would still appreciate reviews. Thanks for reading.**

Chapter 3

Monday morning brought with it, in Kurt's eyes, a welcome and necessary break. The past weekend had been difficult to say the least, and in light of everything that was, or wasn't, happening with Finn, he was certain that seeing the rest of the Glee club would help to inject some normality into his life. Kurt wasn't ashamed to admit that he really needed some stability. Finn had told him that he was feeling strange, unnamed feelings towards him, after months of Kurt tearing himself apart whilst trying and failing to get over him. Kurt knew that he just needed to have a lengthy and generic bitching session with Mercedes, then he would be able to pull himself together again, he would have to. Kurt assumed that Finn had already got up, considering that his bed was empty, and he took the alone time to busy himself with getting ready. As he got dressed, he had to gaze longingly into his wardrobe and sigh mournfully as he had to settle for his Cheerios uniform; coach Sylvester was adamant that they had to wear them all day, but maybe a bit later on he could convince her to at least let him accessorise it a bit.

"_Come on Kurt or we're gunna be late!"_ Finn called down the stairs. Kurt jumped as he noticed the face of his alarm clock, the alarm clock which he had purposefully disabled the night before and then forgot about. After the tiresome weekend that he had just experienced, Kurt had the foresight to see himself throwing it against a wall in the early hours as it merrily chimed away, so he had removed the alarm, just for one night. Kurt could see that he would have to forgo any hope of having breakfast, but as he cantered up the stairs he did feel a rush of fulfilment as he contemplated his wise decision to switch to a much less time consuming night time skin care routine, instead of having to slave away with his old morning one; it was a real time saver.

"_I'm sorry Finn, I overslept. Why didn't you wake me up?"_ Kurt yawned his way through the door, juggling his bag as he went to see if he had everything he needed for the day. He closed the basement door with a kick and turned to see Finn hunched over the table.

"_I didn't want to. You looked really tired and I didn't want to bother you, after yesterday,"_ Finn muttered whilst roughly sorting through his own things, turning his face away sheepishly. Kurt couldn't allow Finn's insecurities and dogmatic blindness over how much he mattered to get in the way of the progress that they had been making, so Kurt stood straight and sure and put on his most authoritarian mask in a sorry attempt to appear like he knew what he was talking about.

"_Finn, don't be embarrassed around me. I always want to help you,"_ Kurt said forcefully, walking over to Finn and clutching his stray elbow firmly. Finn, looking down into Kurt's concerned eyes and seeing nothing but sincerity, wondered if Kurt knew how just a little contact like that could make him feel so much better. It was weird, but Finn felt that Kurt had intuitively deduced how to handle him, physically as well as emotionally, and it made him feel safe. More than anything, it made him feel loved; neither Quinn nor Rachel had bothered to deduce anything about him in all the time that they had been dating, everything was always about them, and it was flatteringly refreshing to think that somebody actually cared enough to try and work him out for a change.

"_You know, you're the only person I've ever talked to like this,"_ Finn said simply, a shade of his usual positivity returning to his voice as the corner of his lips twitched into the lop-sided smile that made Kurt feel like the world was perfect. Kurt didn't think that much of a response was needed, so he gently nudged Finn's shoulder with his forehead and squeezed his arm before moving away.

"_Come on, we're gunna be so late,"_ Kurt laughed, opening the front door and leading the way to Finn's car. Finn followed on from behind, and as he locked the door he thought about how sitting through his classes didn't seem like such a daunting prospect anymore. On the way to McKinley, it seemed like everything that needed to be said that morning already had been, and now the two boys sat in silence and listened to whatever nonsense was being gabbled on the radio as Finn sped towards the school. It wasn't an awkward silence, but one of those silences where you could just tell how the other was feeling, and Kurt and Finn were more than happy to enjoy it while they could. That being said, there was one question which Finn needed the answer to.

"_Hey Kurt,"_ he began lightly, waiting for the other boy to look his way, _"how did you know 'Let It Be Me' was one of my favourites?"_ he asked comfortably, giving Kurt a glance as he shifted up a gear.

"_Oh, I've heard you singing along to it a few times at home, and I searched the lyrics on the internet, it sounded quite nice. It seemed to fit the moment, I guess,"_ Kurt said, shrugging his shoulders and smiling towards Finn.

"_It did. It was great, thanks, and you sing it awesome, obviously,"_ Finn said truthfully, returning Kurt's smile.

They pulled up into the parking lot just in time enough to feasibly blame their slight lateness on traffic and still get away with it, but before they got out of the car, commencing their separate days, Kurt took a moment to address the last loose end of their talks before a new week began and had the chance to complicate things once more.

"_As soon as you think you know something else, or feel something else, or whatever, no matter the time or where we are, you will come and talk to me, alright?"_ Kurt asked, opening his door and preparing to get out, an expectant expression on his face. Finn admired how matter of fact Kurt could make himself when he had other things to do and other people to fool with the front that he expertly wore, and all that Finn could do was nod in agreement. With a smile, Kurt departed from the car and started his swift walk to first period. As he watched Kurt leave the parking lot, Finn slumped back into his driving seat and had to smile broadly as he unbuckled his seatbelt. He had felt ridiculous this morning whilst remembering the night before and how he had cried on Kurt's shoulder, but now he recognised just how lucky he was to have Kurt, and his voice, there and willing to aid and to guide him so thoroughly.

_**-Are You Happy?-**_

Kurt was right, seeing the rest of his friends was exactly what he needed. He felt clear again as he walked towards the choir room accompanied by Mercedes, Tina and Artie and he appreciated how they talked amongst themselves excitedly about the ever approaching Regionals competition. It brought Kurt down to earth to be around the original Glee club members and to hear them talk about the competition and their old rivals like they had always done, and Kurt had to agree as they worked their way down the corridor; now that they had Jesse on their side, they had a real shot at taking Regionals, and the feeling ignited flames within Kurt that had been somewhat doused by other proceedings recently. However, Kurt had to admit that returning to school did have certain disadvantages as well as he watched Rachel stalk up the corridor towards them, her best pout on her face; she certainly did know how to be dramatic, not that that was something that Kurt disliked about her per say, he would have been slightly hypocritical if he did.

"_You guys have to come to the auditorium, it's an emergency!"_ Rachel spluttered, flouncing away again before the rest of them could even acknowledge her. Kurt was intrigued as to what piece of hot drama could have even Rachel in such a mess, but he did have to smile as he heard Mercedes sigh in irritation besides him. Anyway, Rachel always got in a mess, over anything, so Kurt conceded that he shouldn't really be that interested, it was probably nothing. As they entered the auditorium and Kurt steered Artie down the ramp to the middle gang way between the two levels of seats, Kurt noticed that the rest of the Glee club was already there. Finn looked his way and gave him a welcoming smile, but he also pointed inconspicuously towards the stage which diverted Kurt's attention. What he saw couldn't be described as any less than unwelcome; the whole of Vocal Adrenaline clogging up their stage, Jesse at the forefront, wearing a matching costume. This could not be good news.

"_Jesse,"_ Rachel stepped forward, naivety plain in her voice, _"what are you doing up there with them?"_

Kurt listened impatiently as Jesse whined on about transferring back to Carmel High, due to, in his eyes, a lack of respect and acceptance for him on their front. To be honest, Kurt didn't much mind about that. He had never really liked Jesse being there; his strange and at times abrasive presence through of the dynamic, and he presented just another barrier between Kurt and any hope of being given a solo part. No, what made Kurt angry was the negative effect that Jesse's news was having on the rest of his teammates; he had only just returned to the normality that they and their uncanny optimism provided for him, and now it was already being stripped away by this pretentious moron.

"_Why are you here, in our auditorium?" _Finn asked, stepping forward and holding his arms out, his impatience clear. Despite his annoyance, Kurt had to feel proud of Finn and his unwavering sense of leadership.

"_The blogs and chat rooms say that we're finished and that you guys are ripe to topple us. We just wanted to show you a little something that we came up with a few days ago, to see if you agree with that assessment,"_ Jesse finished, his smugness filling the auditorium. The music started up and dread rose in Kurt as he instantly recognised the immortal tune that resonated through the auditorium.

"_Bom, bom, bom, another one bites the dust,_

_Bom, bom, bom, another one bites the dust._

_How do you think I'm gunna get along without you when you're gone?_

_You took me for everything that I had and kicked me out on my own!_

_Are you happy? Are you satisfied? How long can you stand the heat?_

_Out of the doorway the bullets rippa, to the sound of the beat, look out!_

_Bom, bom, bom, another one bites the dust."_

Infuriatingly, they were fantastic, even with the relatively low production values, and as Vocal Adrenaline laughed their way off the stage, Kurt could feel the morale in the auditorium plummet. The rest of the Glee club stood in stunned silence, but Kurt was fuming. He wasn't going to allow his safety net to be swept away from underneath him so violently; he would have to perform some damage control.

"_Hey!"_ said Kurt, taking a few steps forward so that he was in amongst everyone else, _"It's going to take more than that to put us into a funk, get it together guys and girls,"_ he finished passionately, purposefully finding himself next to Finn, who placed a hand firmly onto his shoulder whilst voicing his agreement. Finn could tell from the glances that he had thrown Kurt's way during Vocal Adrenaline's performance that Kurt was not going to let it slide, and Finn felt proud of him for trying his hardest to keep the collective spirit of the Glee club alive. Despite Kurt's best efforts however, Finn could tell that they had not been enough; the Glee club had slipped into a deep funk, just as Vocal Adrenaline had intended, and as the other members of the Glee club began to freak out around him, Finn desperately contemplated how they were supposed to beat their rivals at Regionals now that they had successfully destroyed their hopes with a regrettably great performance.

They were in trouble, but Finn would save them, just like when he had saved Kurt from Azimio and Karofsky. However, he knew he would need some help, and now he felt truly thankful that he had made amends of sorts with Puck; his premonition that he would need a supportive friend sometime in the future had come true far sooner than Finn had expected.

_**-Are You Happy?-**_

It seemed that Mr Schue had very similar thought processes to Finn, a fact which Finn was rather proud of really. Mr Schue had stepped up to the plate as a director and was impressively refusing to be intimidated; he had given the Glee club the assignment of doing funk songs to try and make themselves feel better, due to the emotion and all Mr Schue had said, and because apparently Vocal Adrenaline couldn't do them so they would get freaked, which Finn was more than enthusiastic about. He had sighed in relief on hearing the new assignment because it was the perfect way for him to save the Glee club's morale, and he didn't have to torture himself whilst coming up with the idea by himself. Finn was certain that Puck would be more than willing to help him out; after all he had said that he was Finn's wingman again.

"_Hey Puck!"_ Finn called out, spotting the tan-skinned boy by his locker, sorting through some books and trying to keep a mountain of trash from falling upon him.

"_Finn my boy, what's up dude?"_ Puck asked jollily, grinning widely as he turned back to his locker and tried to pummel the mass of indistinguishable objects back into their places.

"_Puck, I need your help,"_ Finn said simply, smiling gently whilst Puck struggled against the barrage.

"_Sure man,"_ Puck grunted heavily as he slammed his locker shut with the entirety of his weight, _"what is it?"_

"_Right, so, you know Vocal Adrenaline this morning? Well, I figured that what they did wasn't that different to when we try and freak out the competition in football, and I'm guessing that it probably didn't bother you that much?" _Finn slowed, making sure that Puck, who had been following a girl up the corridor with his eyes, was understanding him.

"_Dude, you know that Puckzilla isn't afraid of anything, especially not that Jesse douche," _Puck snorted, refocusing on Finn as a smirk appeared on his face.

"_Well then, it's our job to make it right again man. We've gotta show the rest of Glee club that we aren't out of the running yet. I want you to do a funk number with me, like Mr Schue said," _Finn said, punching Puck lightly on the shoulder to relieve the slight tension.

"_Really? That would be cool," _Puck replied, shock clear in his voice as well as on his face_, "but I've gotta be honest, I don't really get what funk is dude."_

"_That's fine, I've got a song, but we've gotta get it done by tomorrow, you good for that?" _Finn asked, his smile widening as his plan started to come together.

"_Yeah man, come round mine after school," _Puck offered. He picked up his backpack and rounded the corner to his last lesson, and Finn stood and watched him go as he thought about how their re-established friendship might have a real shot at working out after all. Now there was only one more part to his plan, and then they would be ready with the mission to reignite the Glee club's hopes; he had to recruit the Glee club's undisputed core of funk.

Even after the disappointment of Vocal Adrenaline's unexpected visit that morning, by the end of the day Kurt was feeling much better and far more level headed. He had no idea how he was supposed to help the club get over their funk, but he was sure that Mercedes would help him come up with something for them to do; they had just been chatting about meeting at Mercedes' place later that night when Kurt saw Finn jogging lightly down the corridor towards them. He seemed relatively light footed considering that it was Finn, and he had that unmistakable steely look in his eyes that meant he was concentrating really hard on something; Kurt was more intrigued than anything else, despite the fluttering of his insides.

"_Hey Kurt, Mercedes, I caught you,"_ Finn exhaled, stooping slightly and readjusting his backpack on his shoulder.

"_Hey Finn, what is it?"_ Kurt asked, placing a quizzical look on his face in an admittedly flirty fashion; he hadn't seen Finn much all day and he needed to vent his frustrations a bit.

"_Um, it's actually Mercedes who I need to talk to,"_ Finn said, smiling awkwardly towards Mercedes. Finn had deduced that Mercedes must know at least that Kurt had romantic feelings towards him, she and Kurt did discuss everything, and that she might even know about the confusion that he and Kurt were currently working through as well depending on how much help Kurt needed with it. Despite that, Finn had to smile down in amusement at the identical expressions of confusion that the pair reflected between themselves whilst he waited patiently for Mercedes' reply.

"_Ok stretch, what do ya want?"_ Mercedes threw his way, turning with a toss of the hair and a hand placed on her hip.

"_That actually, your attitude,"_ Finn replied, relishing in the further confusion that he was causing, _"me and Puck are working on a funk number for Glee club tomorrow and I was kinda hoping you could help us out, cus your so funky and everything,"_ Finn finished, gesturing kindly at Mercedes as he pointed out her stance. Now Kurt had a genuine look of question on his face; this was the first that he had heard about a funk number, or that Finn was comfortable enough with Puck to sing together again.

"_That sounds great Finn, and it's true, if you're doing a funk number you guys do me. I mean, you're the whitest guy in Glee club and Puck's just a little dim, but me and Kurt were gunna hang tonight, so, sorry,"_ Mercedes finished, spinning on her heels as she readied to leave.

"_Well, um, we can reschedule Mercs, if you wanna help them out. I think you should, you know they'll be awful otherwise,"_ Kurt said, catching Mercedes by the arm and gesturing up towards Finn. Mercedes took a second to make her mind up, but then sighed dramatically, turning back towards Finn.

"_Alright, I'll help chu guys out, just as long as I don't gotta go home; it's my turn to cook, and I get fed for my trouble,"_ Mercedes reasoned, a teasing smile appearing on her face.

"_That's fine, we're meeting at Puck's, he can cook. Come on, I'll give you a lift,"_ Finn waved, glad that Kurt had been so understanding, grateful that Puck could cook and relieved that Mercedes was so easily bought.

"_All right white boy, lead the way. Later Kurt,"_ Mercedes called out as she started to follow Finn in the opposite direction. Finn turned around and mouthed a 'thank you' at Kurt before he vanished around the corner, leaving Kurt with a rather perplexed, amused look on his face which quickly turned to one of annoyance as he realised that he would have to ring his Dad for a lift because Finn had stupidly just forgotten that he was Kurt's ride home.

_**-Are You Happy?-**_

Finn had come home quite late last night. It must have been late because Kurt had already fallen asleep. One of the things that Kurt did not love quite so much about Finn was that he could be very stubborn and dogmatic when he wanted to be, and despite Kurt's best efforts Finn would not reveal anything about his funk number, winding Kurt up something chronic. Finally however, it was time for the Glee club rehearsal, and Kurt strode quickly into the room, not trying to hide his level of excitement. He had been let out of his previous lesson slightly late, so he was the last one there, and as he entered the choir room Kurt noticed that the club was sat on the opposite side of the room to where they usually sat, in quite an orderly line. Kurt didn't want to disturb anything, so he simply leant against the piano, next to an ever smiling Brad.

Finn and Puck stood in the centre of the room, clad in wife-beater vests and leather jackets, adorned with rather tasteless trinkets. Kurt knew the theme was funk, but they didn't look very funky. It seemed more like they had just walked out of a cheap 90's music video, but Kurt had to cut them some slack, they had put this performance together in one evening after all.

"_Now that Kurt has finally joined us,"_ Finn addressed the room, giving Kurt a wickedly teasing smile, _"we can begin. Mr Schue, Puck and I would like to show the class the true meaning of Funk, with a little help from our special guest Mercedes,"_ he finished, shrugging his shoulders towards Mercedes, who joined the rest of the club in sniggering lightly at Finn's attempts to appear funky; the leather jacket must have been affecting his brain, although Kurt had to admit that it did make him look delicious.

"_Fasten your seatbelts people, its gunna be a funky ride,"_ Puck breathed coolly towards the club. As the club settled down, Finn glanced towards Kurt; he would make the club feel better, he would make sure that Kurt had his safety net whilst he was putting him through all this confusion, and considering how messed up the rest of the club looked, their performance was not a moment too soon. This would pay Kurt back, at least in part.

"_Ooh-oh, yeah, can you feel it baby?"_ Puck began, the opening bars of 'Good Vibrations' filling the choir room, the heavy beats making the club sit up and take notice. Kurt smiled up to Mr Schue, who was leaning on the piano next to him; it seemed that Mr Schue was just as surprised at Finn's ability to rap as he was. Kurt didn't know why, but watching Finn rap was rather endearing. The way his face lit up could even be described as cute, but then again Kurt was quite biased in that department; he doubted Mr Schue would also agree that Finn looked cute.

"_It's such a good vibration; it's such a sweet sensation!" _Mercedes hit the chorus hard with her incredible voice, and Kurt smiled as her charisma lifted the whole club into clapping along. As much as the boys could rap, and dance, surprisingly, they couldn't have done it without Mercedes. She was true funk. Finn stepped forward into the spotlight to rap his main verse, and Kurt beamed at him; he didn't feel like he needed to try and cover his affection, no one could see him leant against the piano.

"_Yeah, can you feel it baby? I can too…"_ Finn finished, singing with adorable swagger and charm, and Kurt was absolutely certain that Finn looked at him during that line. Their eyes had connected, and Finn had returned his look of joy, leaving Kurt wondering if Finn was trying to tell him something, maybe even subconsciously, like he had asked him to yesterday in the car. Overall, whatever meaning there was behind it, Kurt thought they'd done a fantastic job; the club as a whole looked honestly happy for the first time since Vocal Adrenaline's bombshell of a performance.

Everyone was clapping enthusiastically, and Finn knew that they had done what they had set out to do, in that the club seemed to be getting back to their old selves. He looked towards Kurt, who was clapping along with the rest of their friends, and his eyes were sparkling in the way that they did when Kurt was really happy. Finn swelled with fulfilment as he let the feeling of success wash over him; he'd given Kurt his safety net.

"_Good job guys, but that's not funk. I mean, the group is called 'Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch' but that is a rap song,"_ Mr Schue said. It never ceased to amaze Kurt how the dynamic in a room could alter so swiftly, it was a very strange phenomenon. Instantly worried, Kurt focussed on Finn's face, which was frozen for the moment in an unrecognisable expression.

_Does it really matter Mr Schue?"_ Artie said flatly, _"we're so clinically depressed that we're doing the wrong songs? We're in a deeper funk than ever."_

Finn felt like someone had punched him in the gut; he thought that they had done really well at raising the club's spirit, Kurt's specifically, although he hadn't told anybody else about that specific aim, and now they all looked just as downbeat as ever. It was his fault, he had put Kurt through all the hurt and trouble over the last week or so, and now in his chance to try and rectify things, he'd chosen the wrong song. It wasn't much, but it was the straw that broke his back. Finn looked at Kurt once more, and bowed his head, chewing on his lip; he couldn't stop failing, at communication, at leadership, at anything. He could not stop failing.

**A/N: Songs – 'Another One Bites the Dust', Queen**

**- 'Good Vibrations', Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: If anybody is still following this story, sorry that this update took so long. A2 year in college is too much work, let's put it that way! A kind review is always an incentive. Thanks.**

Chapter 4

"_Hey Finn,"_ Rachel approached tentatively. It was inevitable what this enquiry would be about, but Finn chose to let the abrasive girl make the first move; the forthcoming events were going to be difficult at best, and considering the mood that he was in, he wasn't really bothered with taking control of the situation.

"_What's up Rachel?" _Finn said mechanically, continuing to sort through his locker with a face as still as stone.

"_I just wanted to check how you're doing, actually. You've seemed rather distant for a while now, and things appear to be getting you down?" _she paused, obviously awaiting some interaction that wasn't to come. After a few, bizarrely comical moments in Finn's mind, she successfully realised that small talk wasn't on the cards.

"_I mean, the distance doesn't surprise me, what with everything that's been happening with Jesse…' _she faltered, bending under the weight of the steely stare that Finn threw her way at the mention of the name, _"but I saw how disappointed you were after Mr Schue pointed out your flawed song choice,"_ she said, quickly changing the subject in her most matter of fact tone, senselessly oblivious to her lack of wisdom. Finn had to admit that he still found the quality endearing to some degree, but it was beginning to irritate more and more rather than entertain.

"_Well, I'm not doing great Rach, to be honest. That song thing yesterday really pissed me off actually,"_ Finn suspired sadly, breaking momentarily from his book sorting, only to find that the lack of movement in his hands led to him becoming queerly awkward at the stillness of the moment.

"_But, it's got to be more than that Finn, you've never let anything like that bother you before,"_ Rachel pressed relentlessly, stepping towards him whilst extending out a tender, inquisitive touch. Finn could easily foresee regular patterns lurking in the wings ready to repeat themselves and he couldn't allow it. Rachel needed to be let go.

"_Rachel, please listen to me, please,"_ Finn said exacerbated, spinning away from her reach. Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion but she miraculously managed to keep silent for once.

"_I know you're thinking that because of everything that went down with Quinn and the baby, and now that Jesse's gone again, that something could happen with us now, but I can't,"_ Finn stammered out, watching morosely as Rachel took a singular step backwards, the hurt clear on her face, _"I mean, earlier this year, I really wanted something with you, I promise I did. But now, I can't,"_ Finn blurted out, desperate to salvage some of her feelings, to explain to her why he couldn't follow the path that had been laid out before them since day one of their friendship. After all, she was still a close, fierce friend and Finn knew that she deserved some resolution.

"_Why?"_ Rachel asked primly, swallowing thickly. Finn fidgeted uncomfortably, but considering that he had managed to wade further through this than he would have first thought that he could, he steadied himself. He would give Rachel some kind of answer, but he didn't have to reveal everything; Finn would choose his words carefully.

"_There's somebody else now. We started talking when we couldn't be together, and things are starting to happen, and that's that,"_ Finn said, deciding to keep it simple. He finished heavily, sagging with the effort of the revelation and waiting for the onslaught, or, conversely, the slow-trickling guilt; he couldn't decide which would make him feel worse.

"_Well, I hope she's better for you than her, or me,"_ Rachel squeezed out in a hushed tone, trying her best to straighten herself and to maintain some strength before she gave up, rotated on the spot and jogged away, her sobs echoing off the hallway walls as she crashed her way into the girls toilets.

So, it was to be the slow-trickling guilt. Finn could decide after all; that was far worse.

_**-Are You Happy?-**_

It had only been a few minutes, or it had only been in Finn's mind at least, separating Rachel and Kurt. It didn't seem fair. He could go whole days without seeing his Glee companions wondering the halls between classes if he chose to, but today of all days the fates had to conspire against him. It was going to be hard enough entering the choir room in just a few minutes for rehearsal following what had just happened with Rachel; the sadness would still be etched clearly in her features, burning him, but now he had to endure a conversation with Kurt where he would most likely end up hurting his feelings in some way as well, just because it was probable. It wasn't fair.

"_Finn, can you please tell me what exactly was wrong with you last night,"_ Kurt stated clearly, keeping his tone purposefully calm, trying to breed a happy environment in which Finn, whilst caught off guard, could willingly spill his deepest feelings without too much effort on Kurt's part to dig them from him.

_Well, I'll trust the fates on this one._

"_Alright Kurt. In Glee club yesterday, I wanted to make everyone feel better after Vocal Adrenaline messed everything up so the club would all be happy and stuff because I think you need that while I'm crapping everything up at home, and I was mega angry at myself last night for picking the wrong bloody song and wasting the opportunity,"_ Finn babbled, inwardly tickled by the startled expression on Kurt's face, regardless of the anguish that was being portrayed on his own. Even in his state of emotional numbness, Finn was able to realise that he could have easily of said the wrong thing, fulfilling his prophecy of ill feeling; he could have easily been too blasé.

With a squeak, Kurt threw himself at Finn, flinging his arms around the taller teen's waist and squeezing the solid muscles of Finn's back as hard as he could, his face lying against Finn's raging chest, relishing in the intimacy. Finn could do nothing but chuckle, perplexed at the motion, his right arm encircling Kurt's shoulders instinctively whilst his other hand moved of its own accord, trailing its way through his own hair as he blinked rapidly, happily overwhelmed by the release of the forceful reaction. Unsure of the length of the embrace, Finn was brought back to earth only by the flushing of his cheeks and the warmth of Kurt through his thin jumper.

It was in that moment, one of those moments where your senses are so acutely tuned that they possess the ability to take in everything around you, ensuring the preservation of that memory, that Finn happened to see Azimio and Karofsky walking past them; the fates were indeed working especially hard today. With a swell of pride, Finn could practically hear himself tearing through a huge barrier. There was a time, not so long ago, when if this exact set of events were to happen under Azimio's hard eyes, as they were happening now, Finn wouldn't have thought twice about pushing Kurt away, the flushing of his cheeks being down to pure embarrassment, the salvaging of his reputation at the forefront of his mind. Now, however, now everything was different. The influence of the last couple of weeks was making him draw Kurt even closer, despite Karofsky's sneers, the flushing of his cheeks due to the joy of the beloved contact, his own mouth curling into a smile of tenacious pride above Kurt's head. Directed at the bullies, the smile acted as a shield, daring them to make a comment and then as a monumental embarrassment to them when they didn't. The smile was a victory, and right then, Finn knew that it would all be alright. When the situation came to its head and was resolved, it would all be alright.

"_Oh, thank you Finn. You organised that just for me? But why did you get so angry at yourself, you idiot? It was great! I love you so much!"_ Kurt giggled adorably, his hands still resting on Finn's hips, his forehead pressed into Finn's jaw line. It was a couple of seconds before the boys simultaneously remembered where they were stood, and they shuffled back in unison, unsure of what to say next; that was the first time ever that Kurt had openly admitted his feelings for Finn, and in such a public setting as well. However, Finn found himself not giving a damn about that at all; he was too occupied with the enthralling rapidness of his heart and the way that the mystical word hung in his ear, like a record stuck on repeat. It was obvious to Finn that Kurt had managed to scare himself into complete silence and that he would have to save the pleasure of this meeting, if it were to be saved. Finn held out his hand proudly and firmly, making it clear to Kurt that he did not care who was watching by stopping there in that pose, staring into Kurt's delicate eyes, never once looking away. Kurt seemed to reengage his brain and get the message because he eventually took Finn's fingers into his own, giving them a tentative stroke, the friction making his entire nervous system spasm in delight, the romance melting him. Finn drew Kurt back in close, their bodies touching once again, knocking Kurt back into a further plain of tactile delight.

"_You just made my year,"_ Finn breathed smoothly, his movie star smile breaking his surface once more, the thumb of his free hand tenderly smoothing a faint wrinkle of worry on Kurt's forehead, _"and my fingers are tingling,"_ Finn whispered, dipping his mouth to Kurt's ear, leaving just a minute space between his lips and Kurt's skin. Smirking at the stunned expression on Kurt's face, he dropped Kurt's hand gently with one last gentle squeeze and an inclination of his head.

"_Come on. Let's get to Glee club,"_ Finn smiled, wise to the knowledge that it would not be long now until he was sure.

_**-Are You Happy?-**_

"_So, tomorrow we are going to perform to Vocal Adrenaline, to get them back for what they did to us. This is it guys, our funk performance that is going to make, them, freak!"_ Mr Schue finished with gusto. Finn had to admit that he had his doubts regarding whether they could produce a number of quality anywhere near that of Vocal Adrenaline's in only two rehearsals, but he supposed they had to try; he believed in Mr Schue, after all, and he believed in the song that his enthusiastic teacher had finally decided would let the Glee club show its heart.

In the few moments of chit-chat before Mr Schue had arrived at rehearsal, Kurt had told him how much he had enjoyed their performance of 'Good Vibrations', no matter if it was technically correct or not, and was especially fond of it now that he knew that it was secretly just for him. Finn however found that he still couldn't take that information as gospel; Kurt was most likely just trying to save feelings, in his selfless way. Maybe now he had a second chance to make it gospel though through this pending performance, to make everyone feel better for Kurt as he had originally intended, no matter how many times Kurt promised that it wasn't necessary.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I know it is never nice when someone toots their own horn, but I am in love with this chapter. This is the last instalment of this story, and I thank anyone who has been following it. Thank you. Spiorad Fear. X**

Chapter 5

"_Finn, I was considering what you said last night and I'm sorry but it's been driving me insane. It seems that at the moment there isn't anything that I can do to change your mind, but I think that I at least have the right to know who it is that you are letting get between us being together. Saying, 'somebody else', just doesn't cut it!"_ Rachel finished in one of her best, fantastically melodramatic flusters. This was already the third time this morning that Rachel had pestered Finn over his new interest and he was beginning to become quite angry indeed.

"_Look Rachel, for the last time, I'm sorry it's not what you want but I think that I've been more than fair in what I've already told you!"_ Finn said loudly, spinning to talk to Rachel directly, trying to be as clear as he could possibly manage. Rachel didn't look happy about it, in fact, she looked positively livid, yet she must have realised that she wasn't getting anywhere with her current approach.

"_Fine, but you're making a mistake. She can't know you like I do. You'll realise that, eventually. Just hope by then that it isn't too late,"_ She said simply, with a hard look on her face, obviously certain that she was correct.

Finn slowly proceeded along the hallway, dazed and downright angered by Rachel's uncanny ability to be unbelievably stubborn and patronising. Even he, Rachel's greatest and at times only defender could see how selfish and taxing she was being at the moment. She didn't even seem to realise that she had hurt him first by making him feel second best to Jesse. He reached the corner of the hallway and was suddenly disturbed in his unhappy mutterings by a mysterious hand which grabbed him by his elbow and pulled him aside.

"_I know who it is,"_ the mysterious voice said, dripping with a sassy tone, _"I wanna know what's going on, and I wanna know now. She hasn't got a right to know, but I'm the one who's had to cheer my boy up all year while he's cried over your ass, so spill," _Mercedes said, doing a fantastic job at leaving Finn with little choice other than to reply whilst he was trapped up against the wall. Finn stared in shock at the brassy girl in front of him, panic setting in at the prospect of being found out.

'_Hang on, why do you feel like that? You haven't done anything to be found out about, have you? And why does it matter?'_

Mercedes just stood there in front of him, her hand on her hip, and Finn knew that she would wait all day for an answer, so there was not going to be much chance of an escape. Finn stared down into Mercedes' eyes and was surprised that he could see nothing sinister in them at all, and he remembered then that Mercedes was a friend. After all, she had helped him with his song when she didn't need to. The smirks that where hinting at the edge of her lips were the last sign that Finn needed to know that if anything, she was only teasing him, and that she was genuinely interested.

"_Well, if you already know who it is, then why do I have to tell you?"_ Finn smirked right back at her, deciding to play her at her own game. Mercedes grinned at him, seemingly pleased that he was comfortable with the teasing. She relaxed herself into a more casual, friendly pose and pursed her lips, preparing what she had to say.

"_I saw you looking at Kurt right before we performed 'Good Vibrations', and I saw you both yesterday in the hall before Glee club, when you thought no one was looking…,"_ Mercedes said quietly, her eyes flickering with menace as she watched Finn squirm slightly under her questioning, _"but Finn, I gotta know, what's the deal? You, playing the hunky, straight quarterback all year long; you always been hiding yourself or what?"_ Finn didn't know how far this was going to go, but he conceded that it was probably a good idea to talk to someone besides Kurt about what was going on; he felt better already just because somebody else knew what was happening and he hadn't even relinquished any details yet.

"_No, I haven't been hiding anything. This has only started happening over the last couple of weeks. Remember last week, when we did theatricality? Well, I saw Kurt getting pushed around by those jerks and at first I was pissed at Kurt really cus he wasn't really helping himself being so, in your face. But then he showed me what an idiot I was being and how it wasn't his fault that they were ignorant morons and how no one had any right to make him hide himself. That's when things started happening, I suppose,"_ Finn babbled, his voice starting to quiver slightly through the relief, fear and excitement of finally releasing his inner most thoughts on the tricky subject of Kurt.

"_So,"_ Mercedes said, taking an inquisitive step forward, _"What is happening?"_

"_Well, I don't really know. I thought I was just being protective of him, cus our parents have started dating and whatever, I thought is was my responsibility. But then I organised that song for him, and rejected Rachel, which is something that I thought I would never do, and then when he said he loved me yesterday…,"_ Finn yielded, sighing at the pleasant memory whilst Mercedes lifted an eyebrow in slight surprise, _"that did it for me. I think, no, I'm sure now that it's something more. I'm just so confused, this shouldn't happen in just two weeks," _Finn groaned under the strain, massaging his face between his hands whilst he threw himself back into the wall. Mercedes looked at him tentatively, for the first time feeling that Finn really needed some help.

"_You are allowed to be confused, you know? It is kind of a big deal what you're thinking,"_ Mercedes said gently, tapping Finn's arm, _"So, labels, you in to them or not?"_

"_Oh, um,"_ Finn stumbled, caught off guard by the abruptness of the question. He felt like he was venturing into unmarked territory, thinking about labels, but he supposed that he should carry on talking while he was feeling so open.

"_I wouldn't say I was bi or gay or anything like that, not by a long shot. I mean, I haven't really thought about Kurt in a….in a, sexual way. I mean, I've been really enjoying, hugging him and stuff…,"_ Finn whispered, his cheeks flushing, _"but since this started happening, I've been so interested and worried about his feelings that I haven't thought about any girl in that kinda way either. It was actually really easy to say no to Rachel yesterday,"_ Finn said, gazing at the opposite wall, surprising himself with the crucial revelations that he was only just figuring out for himself; he could see that speaking to Mercedes had obviously been the right thing to do.

"_I'm happy for you Finn. Kurt has always loved you, I think you know that, and I'm glad that might get happening. And I just want you to know, I'm Kurt's best friend, but you can talk to me too if you want, I'll always listen,"_ Mercedes said kindly, flashing her cutest smile towards Finn.

"_Thanks Mercedes,"_ Finn gushed, relieved at the catharsis that was washing through him. Mercedes moved to rejoin the flow of people moving down the hallway, and Finn moved to follow her, but she span on the spot before he could, obviously with one more thing on her mind.

"_But one thing though, you lead Kurt on and hurt him, say yes to him and then change your mind? I will take you down, Finn Hudson, I promise you that," _she said sternly, the classic, everyday Mercedes resurfacing to bring the intimate conversation round full circle.

"_Whew, uh, ok, I got it. Thanks Mercedes, I want to find him now actually. I think I need to talk to him,"_ Finn decided; he had to talk to Kurt about the new thoughts that were running through his mind. He had promised that the second he worked something out he would find Kurt and tell him, it was only fair, besides, he felt he needed the support.

"_He'll be at lunch now, that's where I was going actually. I'll come with ya'll,"_ Mercedes winked at Finn, linking her arm through his and dragging him back into the hallway. As they walked towards the lunch hall Finn had to smile at how, quite inadvertently through the confusion that he was living, he had managed to bring somebody less committed to the situation, somebody more objective and a friend at that even closer. Somebody who could help him wade through the mess in his head without him having to worry about their feelings all the time. Maybe now he didn't have to feel quite so stranded.

_**-Are You Happy?-**_

On arrival at the lunch hall Finn quickly scanned the large room, using his height as an advantage to see over the heads of the throngs of teenagers. He pointed out to Mercedes that Kurt was sat in the far corner with Artie and Tina, and then they started to meander across the hall. Finn had hoped that they could have got there early enough to catch Kurt by himself, but their conversation had ended that plan. Finn trained his eyes on Kurt as they weaved their way through the tables, knowing that he needed to talk to him right away about the new knowledge that was there, fresh in the front of his mind.

"_Mercedes, is there any way that-,"_

"_That I could get them to leave?"_ Mercedes finished, bending her head back to smile up at him with a cheeky wink, _"No problem Frankenstein."_ As they approached the table, Finn was amused at the slight confusion on Kurt's face as he looked over his and Mercedes' linked arms; Finn imagined that he would be quizzed about that thoroughly later.

"_Come on ya'll,"_ Mercedes said brightly as she tapped Artie and Tina on their shoulders, _"come with me a minute, I want your opinion on something,"_ she finished, smiling inconspicuously at Finn. It wasn't inconspicuous enough though; Kurt didn't miss it. Now he was properly interested in what Finn and Mercedes were doing before they mysteriously slinked into the hall.

"_Oh, come on Mercedes, its lunch! Can't it wait?"_ Artie whined, looking down longingly at his sandwich that was waiting on the table.

"_It will only be a sec, and then we'll come right on back,"_ Mercedes reassured him, gesturing for them to rise. Under Kurt's watchful eye, as she departed she gently nodded towards Finn who smiled in response, looking slightly nervous. Kurt was amused at their attempts to appear normal; the very fact that Mercedes didn't ask for his opinion on whatever thing she was making up told him that they were plotting something, that and the fact that Finn couldn't be inconspicuous if he tried as he sat down next to him whilst wringing his hands. Kurt decided to play along with their charade; he didn't want to dent Finn's pride, for Finn to think that he'd wasted his efforts to appear nonchalant. Besides, Kurt had to admit that he was growing nervous himself; if whatever Finn wanted to talk to him about required this much of a show and this degree of privacy it was probably something that he should be concerned with.

"_Hi Finn,"_ Kurt greeted lightly, replaying their encounter in the hall yesterday over and over in his head as he continued eating his salad, lingering on the feel of Finn around him, the smell of Finn next to him, and he prayed internally that this was not the proclamation that he had been expecting; that this, whatever it was between them, had to stop.

"_Hey Kurt, so, yesterday, in the hall-,"_ Finn began, struggling for the bravery to dive straight in to what he needed to explain.

"_Oh god, it was too much wasn't it? I freaked you out! I'm so sorry Finn,"_ the words streamed out of Kurt's mouth as he threw down his fork and turned towards Finn, his face twisting with worry.

"_No Kurt,"_ Finn said clearly, placing his hand on Kurt's shoulder_, "I'm sorry,"_ he finished gently, staring at Kurt until he felt the tension recede somewhat into Kurt's small frame.

"_Listen, I'm sorry because in the hall I saw how I was stringing you along, and I have been, don't say I haven't,"_ Finn said, cutting off the protest that was clearly on Kurt's mind.

"_Anyway. Truthfully, I think I've known what was going on as soon as I came to help you dressed in a theatrical shower curtain,"_ he sniggered, making Kurt smile gently through his nerves, _"I did that cus I really care about you, so much Kurt, more than I ever did for Rachel or Quinn, and I supposedly loved them. Wow, so much for that. I see now that I was "in love" with them just because it was what people expected of me. I didn't really; all they did was use me, for bloody status or whatever. You're the only one that's always been there to help me, you know?"_ Finn smiled at Kurt, not able to believe the truth of the things that he was saying. Kurt just sat and smiled weakly, unsure of where this was going but exhilarated all the same.

"_I was just saying to Mercedes actually how this shouldn't happen in two weeks,"_ Finn smirked, as Kurt seemed to make sense of something.

"_So that's what that was about," _Kurt nodded, sure of himself. Finn decided to wrap this up; Kurt seemed to be close to palpitations, so he took Kurt's hand under the table and grasped it, reassuringly tight.

"_I'm not ready for anything more than this right now, ok? I'm really freaked out by this, but not in a bad way, I swear,"_ Finn promised, flattered by the way that Kurt's breathing quickened under his touch.

"_Just know. I'm becoming yours a little bit more every day."_

_**-Are You Happy?-**_

"_Right guys, they're sat in our auditorium. This is it, your chance to show them you're just as good as they are, and in fact, you're even better, because you guys have heart!" _Mr Schue was positively glowing with excitement at the prospect of the Glee club's funk-tacular performance and Finn felt just as buzzed. This had to be one of his favourite songs that they had done all year, and what made it even better was that as the club stood behind the screen at the back of their stage, casting their funky silhouettes, Finn had the opportunity to peruse the hilarious range of funk costumes worn by his club mates. For instance, Kurt was adorned in a shiny gold jacket and an equally festive trilby hat, all finished off with bright red skinny jeans. All in all, his attempt at being funky had winded up with him looking like an incredibly gay pimp, and Finn didn't think that he could look any better; the jeans were especially flattering.

'_What? The jeans are flattering? What's that about? Well, they are. Actually, he looks fucking hot!'_ Finn thought to himself, checking Kurt up and down as he waited by the side of the screen, awaiting his entrance onto the stage to begin the number after Rachel had finished introducing them.

"_After your brazen escalation of our growing dispute which we were willing to put to rest, we decided that the only way to truly funk-ify you is to show you the one thing we know you can't do, so enjoy!"_ Rachel finished confidently, and as Kurt stepped out from behind the screen as the music struck up, Finn was bubbling with excitement.

"_Tear the roof off, we're gunna tear the roof off, the mother sucker. Tear the roof off the sucker!"_ Kurt began, swaying alone in the centre of the stage as he put on a comically low voice to begin the song. He felt that with Finn's words from lunch reverberating around his mind, he could have performed the whole of the upbeat number by himself and still have sent Vocal Adrenaline running, and he also knew as the rest of the club joined him onstage, kicking off the main vocals, that they had already succeeded; Vocal Adrenaline looked freaked and they had only been performing all of thirty seconds.

Finn found that as he rounded the side of the screen, he was exuding pride. Pride which was directed towards Kurt as he watched him take down Vocal Adrenaline's smugness single handed by just being his light hearted self. As the Glee club settled down into their performance places, Finn made his way to the back row, as was always dictated by his height and his inability to dance, but this time he really didn't mind as Kurt was going to be there with him due to keeping quiet during rehearsals and by him carefully selecting his own place. The best thing though was that they were going to be right next to each other, and as they arrived at their places Finn grinned the widest grin that he had done in a while, and Kurt simply melted at the sight of it.

The club worked their way through the number, and with every beat Vocal Adrenaline sank lower into their chairs, only fuelling the New Directions fire, but Finn couldn't take his eyes off of Kurt. The way that he stepped his way through Britney and Mike's funky moves was absolutely charming and would not relinquish Finn's attention. As they turned up the heat and stepped into the last area of the song, Kurt found himself enthralled by the way that Finn rotated his hips to the smooth beat of the song, and by the time Kurt led the way down the centre of the stage, doing his improvised, individual dance moves whilst Mercedes wrapped up the heated vocals, he felt as if nothing could stop him; then, as his part of the song was effectively over, he span around to lovingly watch Finn following him, looking equally excited.

As the music came to its end, the club erupted into cheers and high-fives at the sight of the dumbfounded Vocal Adrenaline, safe in the knowledge that they had performed their task well; hell yes, they were funk-ified. Kurt made his way off of the stage, gasping for breath, accompanied by the feeling that he had lifted a huge weight off of his shoulders, when a strong hand spun him around.

"_I love you!"_ Finn gasped, and before Kurt could even squeak in surprise, Finn had grabbed the back of his head and pulled him into the most romantic of kisses, his other hand working its way to Kurt's hip. Everything exterior to the moment disappeared as Kurt wrapped his arms around Finn's neck, the softness of Finn's much awaited lips blinding him whilst the taste of him made him crumple at the knees; Finn's taste was the same brand as his delicious scent and if it hadn't of been for his strong, sculpted arm, he would have hit the floor. Kurt knew that if he could think straight, he would not believe that his only desire, the desire that he lived for, was happening, but as it was he found that he couldn't even articulate the thought whilst he wound his fingers into Finn's hair, the eroticism of the moment taking over his body. Finn's eyes exploded behind his eyelids as he led the kiss, the sweet innocence of Kurt's lack of experience easy to comprehend. All that needed to be said? Screw not being ready! After he had watched Kurt during that song, all doubt had left his mind, and by the end of it he had felt lighter than air. Kurt and his delicate frame, crushing against him was all that he needed. Kurt, and the way that he cared for him and made him feel, truly feel, what it meant to love and to be loved in return, for the very first time.

"_Are you sure?"_ Kurt probed, reluctantly pulling a minute distance away from Finn, dragging in a huge breath.

"_Yes, I am,"_ Finn said simply, like it was the surest thing on the planet as their eyes locked together, an exquisite blend of light and dark.

"_I love you so much,"_ Kurt finished, pressing himself back against Finn, grasping at Finn's back. That was when he heard Finn chucking slightly, with an undertone of nerves apparent in the sound, and Kurt opened his eyes to the rest of the Glee club staring at them just metres away, each and every one of them with their jaws hanging down in stricken silence. All except Mercedes, who stood grinning at them, one hand over her heart, the other fanning her face.

Kurt couldn't have put it better himself.


End file.
